


Kill a Little Time

by kaori



Series: A Slow Fire Burn [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Corporate, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-27
Updated: 2012-10-27
Packaged: 2017-11-17 03:37:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/547213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaori/pseuds/kaori
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s after that joke of a senate hearing in DC, on an unassuming day with a list of assuming tasks on his plate that he’ll unload onto Pepper, when Tony Stark meets Loki Laufeyson. Business AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kill a Little Time

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this gifset](http://tonyloki.tumblr.com/post/34412503274/i-accidentally-a-fic-c).

It's after Afghanistan when Tony comes back all bandaged and ragged and doing his best not to inhale his third cheeseburger in front of the crowd of reporters crouched down like overgrown vultures. 

He knows that this is not the best time, not the best place, not the best way. He knows he needs to sit down with the board of directors first to reach an unanimous vote before making any rash decisions.

He doesn’t because he is _Tony Stark_ ; because everything narrows down with the guilt of unaccountability and ends with his new burning convictions, too bright and too hot in his chest it’s suffocating. It’s a matter of what he’s okay with and what he isn’t, and this he will not forgive if it’s allowed to continue on any longer. 

So Tony stands, circles around to the podium mic and turns Howard’s legacy around on it’s head in under thirty seconds.

Obie, the first to act on his announcement, to try to get him to _stop_ , is not happy. Rhodey isn’t happy. Pepper's face is a tableau of shock, but she probably won’t be happy when it wears off. Only Happy’s happy, but that may be because he’s out by the limousine, munching on Tony’s last cheeseburger. 

Tony isn’t happy either.

▿

Stark Industries’ original arc reactor is a smoking ruin and he’s killed Obadiah, (okay, _technically_ Pepper killed Obadiah but don’t let her hear that) and Rhodey and that guy from Strategic-really-needs-a-shorter-less-of-a-mouthful-name-Division and whoever the fuck else decides it’s their business pretends it’s _okay_.

It’s really not, but he doesn’t tell them otherwise as he skims over the carefully scripted flashcards with an alibi that he attempts to follow for all of ten seconds before he realizes how ridiculous it is. The cover story is dubious at best, and he’s vengeful enough that not even Stane’s memory is allowed to disappear so innocuously—his name will be dragged kicking and screaming through the dirt five times over and Tony will _relish_ in it. 

His company’s popularity is already at an all time low; this is just another tiny thing he’ll have to work through, easy. 

He starts now, when Rhodey tries to pull him back in line and—expectations? Seriously, they expect him to behave? Anyone who knows anything about him knows he has a terrible habit of vaulting over expectation’s long-stretching hurdles and shattering them to pieces.

It’s a _thing_ he does and he surely can’t start disappointing _now_.

So he tells the world at large what should’ve been the biggest secret of his life. 

Tony makes a point of not looking to the side at Rhodey who probably really wants to punch him. Pepper looks like she’s _this_ close, and so does the unassuming guy from Stealthy-suits-of-black-and-expressionless-faces-that-still-somehow-convey-disapproval-Division and—

Somehow, that’s okay. 

He’d punch him too if he wasn’t the one who was so awesome.

▿

It’s after that joke of a senate hearing in DC, on an unassuming day with a list of assuming tasks on his plate that he’ll unload onto Pepper, when Tony Stark meets Loki Laufeyson.

Tony’s heard of him, of course, has for years. He’s not really into the politics of business, but anyone living under a rock knows that Laufeyson is a name layered with whispers of controversy. Knowing the nature of the gossip is an entirely different matter, however—that’s why he has Pepper.

Tony holds no true opinion of Loki Laufeyson. In all their years of circulating the high life and the gold diggers and the brown nosers, they’ve never actually met. He’s caught glimpses of the man at charity balls and lavish exhibitions, sure, but Tony’s usually too drunk or too occupied to really take notice. 

It helps that he doesn't make Tony want to set things on fire—like a certain son of a certain company who tries (fails) to follow him around like a sycophantic puppy. That's not actually saying much, but it does say more than enough as far as rich CEO sons go.

But Tony’s pulled the plug on weaponry and decided to wade into the energy business, into Laufeyson’s territory. _Now_ this makes Laufeyson competition, the fiercest one sitting too comfortably at the top, and keeping a close eye on the competition is the Smart Thing To Do, Tony’s no fool.

Unfortunately, it’s something Tony’s been too busy to do. He needs to focus on getting Stark Industries back up and running in a more than functioning capacity, he needs to oversee the newly-developing projects, needs to keep an eye on the Expo he has running in New York, needs to make decisions on contracts Pepper keeps piling up on his desk—he’s doing none of that, but he’s still busy. 

He knows Stark Industries as a whole is in complete disarray—Pepper doesn’t need to be harping on about it for him to get, thank you—he just doesn’t really care; palladium poisoning kind of does that.

He’d regret it, were he the type to; instead he settles on placid surprise when he sees the silhouette, tall and svelte, standing casually behind his desk, in front of the wide-walled window backing his office.

“Pepper didn’t tell me you were going to be here.” Though that may be due to his sudden allergy to phone calls (hers specifically), but Pepper knows, if he’s wilfully ignoring her, to drop by his home if someone as high-profile as Loki Laufeyson requests a meeting. 

Stark is airtight on security, only the best of the best for Tony Stark; it shouldn’t be so easy for unappointed strangers to make it _into_ his office without tripping some sort of alarm. 

Tony closes the door behind him with a particularly loud bang. “Do you have an appointment? I didn’t hear anything about an appointment. Do I need to fire—what’s her name—” He pauses for a moment, waving a hand in the air in thought. He can’t remember her face or her name, doesn’t recall if he ever saw her on his trek from the elevator to the office. Huh. “Secretary? She’s not doing a very good job if she couldn’t arrange an appointment for you.” 

The man turns so that he's half out of the shadows cast by the afternoon sun: profile sharp, sleek lines against the clear, blue sky; light eyes unimpressed; short, black hair gelled back in a fashion that should _not_ complement his unfairly attractive face so. He looks like the typical stick-in-a-mud types. Pretty, but ultimately, boring. 

First impressions: he’s subdued and silent, has unfriendly eyes, and Tony doesn’t think he’s actually seen the man smile. Tony doesn’t think he’s the sort that can. Unassuming. 

“Do you make a point of being deliberately obtuse?” Laufeyson asks, voice an impossibly gravelly baritone, or perhaps a too-smooth bass. 

"Only to those who don't have appointments." Tony pauses, concedes, "Okay, maybe." 

The man inclines his head a fraction, line of his shoulders tension-free, and faces Tony fully. 

And _wow_ , Tony doesn’t know how he’d managed to label the guy unassuming. The very sight of him simply commands the same way Tony radiates presence. He's oozing charisma with his tall and looming act, with his low bass-baritone, and Tony hates how that's enough to maybe slightly catch all of his attentions. 

Tony eyes him warily, striding to his chair as Laufeyson matches his steps to the other side of the desk. 

"I take it you're not here on a social call." Tony flops down into his hard-won chair, new and obnoxiously high-backed with too much padding for extra, delightful comfort. He'd spent the better part of an afternoon threatening secretary-needs-a-name that he'd throw the old one out the window, because he really didn't want to be sitting in an impression of Ob- Stane's ass; the damned woman only conceded when Pepper stepped in, bless Pepper—maybe he really should fire the secretary.

Tony clasps his hands over his stomach, swinging the chair back and forth. Laufeyson looks entirely unaffected with his lack of manners; Tony feels just that little bit disgruntled. 

Laufeyson crosses his arms and leans back to perch on one of the high arms of the single sofa, all poise and grace. "That depends on your definition of a social call."

Tony can tell already that this guy likes dancing and pleasantries and all the bullshit that Tony's so very tired of, so he flips off diplomacy with all the tact of a bull. "Mr Laufeyson, what do you want?"

"You don't ask the right questions," Laufeyson remarks, and god is he smarmy enough to make Tony's skin crawl. 

"Yeah? I don't have the time to, schedules and appointments, you know," Tony answers, glib. 

Laufeyson smiles—and isn't _that_ a surprise—bland as it is, and waves a hand flippantly to reveal a tiny device nestled in his palm and ooh boy does that look familiar, almost like it's his heavily-modified portable EMP. That explains the security.

"I think that's mine." Tony's voice is steady and his face stoic; only the tightening of his lips betray him.

"Not quite, but…" Something like approval eases the line of Laufeyson's jaw. "I will do you this one favour, Tony Stark. I know you don't appreciate double-crossers." 

Laufeyson throws the device carelessly onto the glass of Tony's desk. It lands with a series of clatters, coming to a halt on top of the embedded keyboard that lights up from sleep. There's no identifiable markers on the device—it's just a prototype—but Tony can recognise his inventions in his sleep. 

"I know you're a _busy man_." The way Laufeyson says that sounds like an insult. It probably is; tabloids love to harp on about Tony Stark's time management skills. "Keep a better eye on your people; I will not be so kind next time." Laufeyson straightens from the chair, folded arms falling to his side and hands sliding into the pockets of his tailored pants. 

He leaves without fanfare, and for the next several minutes there's silence: no alarms, no calls from security, nothing. Smooth and smarmy, the sort of person Tony dislikes because, reasons. (He's going to fire the secretary.)

Tony eyes the oh-so- _graciously_ returned prototype, a thoughtful expression pulling down the lines of his brows. It tells him several things:

1\. Security breach: only those with a high-level clearance can access his prototypes. 2\. Someone's about to be fired and blacklisted _very_ soon. (No, it's not the secretary.) 3\. There's a lot more work to be done than ten minutes ago, because Laufeyson may not be the only one with a stolen piece of his technology. 

      3.1. Pepper can take care of it.

4\. Laufeyson is an arrogant son of a bitch to just waltz into Stark Industries and wave the flag without so much as reverse engineering the Stark device for their own; Tony knows how it'd look if they tried, and this device hasn't been touched in anyway except to be used. 

      4.1. As if Laufeyson has no need for Tony's genius, as if he can engineer his own, _better_ , and oh, does that sting; it absolutely _burns_.

5\. Except, Laufeyson could've sent anyone else to do the job; this wasn't something that truly required a personal appearance. 

      5.1. Laufeyson Inc. is based in New York.

      5.2. So okay, less stinging and burning. 

      5.3. In fact, Tony's feeling rather flattered right now (and it takes a lot to flatter Tony Stark and his Ego) with a large side of suspicion, because competing CEOs never do things out of the goodness of their hearts and Tony's always paranoid.

6\. It's a challenge from a possibly like-minded individual, one Tony has never had the chance to experience. (7. Excitement: something he hasn't felt since his blood toxicity levels reached above 20%.) 


Tony pulls out his phone, all transparent screen and bright lights. “JARVIS, what can you tell me about Loki Laufeyson?”

▿


End file.
